Can the U.S. win the battle against overfishing?

Source: The Washington Post

We’ve written before about “the end of fish.” This is the rather apocalyptic warning, promoted by ecologists like Daniel Pauly, that humans are severely over-exploiting the ocean for fish, and, if we’re not careful, stocks of key species like tuna will soon collapse. Then it’s lumpy jellyfish sandwiches for everyone.

But it’s worth reiterating that the end of fish can be avoided, as even Pauly has pointed out. While plenty of countries are guilty of relentless over-fishing—southern Europe and China often get mentioned as key culprits—there are several nations that have worked hard to improve their fisheries management practices over the years. Iceland. New Zealand. Australia. And the United States. “The U.S. is actually a big success story in rebuilding fish stocks,” says Ray Hilborn, a marine biologist at the University of Washington.

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